Saratoga
by Ghostofinu
Summary: A boy goes on the adventure of a lifetime when he is confronted by two spix macaws.
1. Daniel

**A.N.- okay so im coming to you guys with an all new story, this will be very different from my Tested series. Im going to tell you right not I got the main idea of this from a dream, a very weird one in fact that I just simply expanded on. I hope to make the storyline on this extremely in depth and I guess you could say…different from most other stories. While my last stories were from a third person perspective I am making this one first person through the eyes of the main character, Daniel. I hope you enjoy it and idk if I will actually finish writing this but I feel like I just need to get these thoughts and ideas on paper.**

Growing up I was always the different kid, the outcast, the ugly duckling. The first and biggest thing I noticed on how I was different was I never had a father. I never experienced that father to son relationship that every other child on the small island of Saratoga had the honor of having. My mother always told me my father was a brave man who left to "save the world" from all the bad things. But when I began attending public school, a small school house no bigger than 20 by 20 feet, the kids shunned me for not having a father. Calling me a bastard child (keep in mind we are only 9 years old here) saying my father was a deserter, a thug, a piece of shit. And like father to son I was also called those names and many other ones that one would not dare to think would pass along the tongues of ones so young.

The only thing that seemed to keep me sane, the place I would go to cry, adventure, and daydream and even sometimes sleep was the jungle. Saratoga was not a very well-known island, right smack dab in the middle of the Caribbean Sea, the only use for it seemed was for sailors to stop in and refill their rum and get drunk as a skunk. The geography of this island, my home, was mostly just a flat boring jungle with our small town on the outskirts of the sandy beach. About ninety percent of the two or three square mile island was jungle, left unexplored by anyone but me.

I guess that I'll begin my story the day when everything I guess you could say, changed for the better at seventeen. The people of this island relied on each other for supplies and food. Money was worth almost nothing and was reserved to buy emergency supplies if needed. Most people traded one good for another and everyone had their own job. Me? I was the apprentice blacksmith, an easy job to say the least. The only use Jag, the blacksmith and my mentor, and I had was to replace horses shoes and replace or mend broken plows and other farm tools. Most days were spent with me drawing or writing in my journal and on a rare occasion having a conversation with Jag.

Jag was a tall well-built man with the strength of an ox. While I was a tall and lanky boy with hardly, if any, strength in my pathetic excuse for muscles. His voice was deep and echoed throughout a room whenever he spoke, which was seldom. It took nearly a week before he actually said something to me, which was the simple words "No and Yes". But after nearly two years of working under his wing the two of us became no so much friends but acquaintances. Still I liked to be in the company of Jag more than anyone else, he was the closest thing I ever had to a friend. It was a quiet day; I sat in the back of the shop on an open window sill drawing.

"Daniel." I heard from behind, slightly making me jump.

"Yes Jag?" I asked turning my head.

"You can go on home now," he motioned with his hand towards the exit, "It's a slow day."

"When is it not?" I laughed jumping down to the ground.

"Just get home to your mama and tell I said hello." Jag smiled.

I waved goodbye to Jag and headed off through the town to my house, on the outskirts next to the barrier of the jungle. I was admiring my picture of the small finch I sketched back at the shop when I was suddenly shoved to the ground. After spitting the mud out of my mouth I looked up to see who my attacker was, and as usual it was Jack.

"Afternoon Daniel," Jack sarcastically greeted, "what is this?" he said as he reached down for my journal. I immediately attempted to snatch my journal but Jack stomped onto my hand and dug in his heel causing me to yelp.

He examined the picture of the small bird and laughed, "This is pretty good." He said, and for a second I was foolish enough to believe that his sincerity was actually legit. "Shame I'm going have to ruin it."

Jack tore out the page and threw it to the ground and proceeded to do the same with the rest of the pages, years' worth of work was being destroyed right before me, and every tear was a knife to my heart. Finally Jack released my foot and dropped the mutilated notebook after making sure to spit in my face. I didn't even bother to pick up the scattered pages or avenge myself. Instead I ran, right through town where everyone could see my shame and how weak I was. I ran to the only place I wanted to be at a time like this, no not my home, but the jungle.

I stood at the edge of a sea side cliff, wiping the tears from my eyes I looked over the edge and wondered if it would be a quick and painless death. There have been more times that I can count where I come to the same cliff and contemplate whether or not to jump. And I was getting sick of it, it was time to either do it or not. Why should I even stay? Everyone in the town disrespects me for a reason I'm not sure of. My mother always told me it was because they were jealous of me, she would say I was special and just like dad I would leave this place and do amazing things. That was when I was a kid, an ignorant stupid kid. I was seventeen now, a man nearly, no not a man. I was far from a man, I was a pathetic excuse for life, just a waste and was about to relieve this world of such a pathetic being.

I slowly shuffled towards the edge with my eyes shut. I had one foot floating over the edge; I peeked my eye open and looked down. I felt my heart beat race tenfold.

"Do it!" I yelled aloud and began to take that final step when a sudden uproar of wind from below sent me falling back onto the edge of the cliff. I felt my head hit the hard surface of stone and soon the world faded away.

**AN- okay I know that as of now this may not seem like a rio fan fic but don't worry, it will all make sense in the next chapter. Also on this story I plan on making the chapters shorter than my other stories. Also just to clarify the time this all takes place is in the 1600s-1700s.**


	2. Escape!

I awoke to the distant sound of what at first seemed to be drumbeats. As I opened my eyes and slowly sat up I realized what I mistook for drumbeats were gunshots, a lot of them. I jumped to my feet and ran along the cliff until I found sight of the town. In the bay floated two ships that were firing their cannons onto the town. On the ground men were ransacking and killing at will. Even from this distance I could still clearly make out the people fleeing. I saw one man who was foolish enough to stand and fight, I realized that it was Jag. He managed to kill a few before he was brutally slaughtered with a gunshot to the head. I turned away in fear and began to cry for the lost.

I began sprinting through the jungle for my house, hoping that my mom was still alive and well, that I could save her before the pirates would get there. My gut sank as I leaped over a fallen tree and through a small clearing in the thick foliage of the jungle I saw her lying in at the door to the house motionless. I was stupid enough to actually run into the open next to my mother's body but I didn't care.

"Mom!" I yelled shaking her body.

She laid motionless with blood flowing from her chest, she had been shot and had already passed on, I was to late. Soon the reality of my mother's ill fate sunk in and I cried into her chest not caring if her blood stained my face. I heard voices coming from the path leading up to my house and I immediately swan dived into the jungle, scraping my elbow. I watched as three men, two black and one white stood over my mother's body. I could only hear low mumbles and laughs. I tried my best to stay quiet but when the white man drew his sword and stabbed my mother's dead body I gave out a light shriek. The men heard it and began opening fire onto me, nearly hitting my arm. I ran back into the jungle heard the men shouting behind me.

"Get him!"

I zig zagged through the trees and leaping over large trunks of fallen trees until I eventually came to a cliff, below was a lake after about a hundred foot drop. I nearly ran off the edge and swung my arms around in the air to regain balance, I looked back and could hear the men's shouting growing louder.

"JUMP!" a voice said in my head and for a second I lost control of my body, jumping off the edge and into the water below. I held my arms to my chest and braced for impact. I felt the sting as I was engulfed by the cold murky water and then the same voice appeared in my head.

"SWIN DANIEL SWIM!" it shouted.

I held my breath for as long as I could but eventually I had to resurface for air. When my head popped out of the water I heard the now almost familiar sound of a gun going off from above. I saw the splash as the bullet made contact with the water right in front of me. The three men were taking shots at me from the cliff. I began digging it out; using every single cell of energy I could manage. I made it to the other side of the lake and dragged myself ashore, safe from being shot. I looked back to the cliff and the men were leaving, disgruntled that I had escaped.

I rested my head against the muddy bank in exhaustion and stared at the sky until eventually my eyes closed and I dreamt of my mother.

My dream was broken by a loud squawk and I rubbed my eyes, looking down at my feet. There stood a dark blue bird, he cocked his head to the side and chirped.

"Go away." I shooed kicking my foot at it. The bird refused and hopped its way up my leg and onto my chest. I was amazed by its behavior, no sane bird would approach a human the way this one did.

I looked deep into its eyes and heard the same voice as before.

"I'm Blu." It rang in my head.

I pushed the bird off of me and leaped to my feet.

"Did you just talk!" I yelled pointing at the bird.

The bird nodded, "Yes I did."

I stood in disbelief, "It was you who told me to jump!"

"Daniel, I know this may seem too much for you but I need you to take me to the medallion, as soon as possible." The blue bird said speaking in my head.

"How do you know my name!" I replied ignoring the bird's request.

"Daniel the time for answers is not now. Your father's medallion please take me to it."

I threw my hands up in the air walked away into the jungle, "This is bullshit I'm going insane. Do I really think that a blue bird is actually talking to me in my head right now!"

I pulled aside a large palm leaf to see Blu hovering in my face.

"Daniel you need to take me to your father's medallion." He persisted.

"First tell me how the hell you are talking to me!"

The blue bird landed on my shoulder, "I will explain on the way there."

"Get off me!" I shook him off my shoulder. "You will tell me now!" I demanded pointing at the ground.

The bird flew up to a high branch and looked down at me, "Daniel I'm talking to you because of who you are, someone special with a purpose, not a worthless use of life." He paused before continuing, "I can't talk to you much longer like this, it drains me of energy. Please I need the medallion now!"

"What do you mean purpose and how do you know about the medallion?"

"All in good time old friend." He smiled.


	3. Answers

I trudged through the jungle with Blu contently sitting on my shoulder, who was relaxing. My clothing was soaked, the humidity was suffocating, and to makes things worst my underwear began to chafe against my legs. I gave a sharp glare at the blue macaw as he happily hummed to himself.

"Lazy ass." I angrily said in my mind.

"I can hear that!" Blu's voice echoed through my noggin.

"Can you please tell me why this is happening to me?" I said mentally, why talk aloud when he can hear my thoughts I figured.

"I guess I'll start with what you are probably wondering most."

"What are you?" I asked. Blu smiled and looked at me.

"We are not normal beings, which you obviously figured out." I stopped him before he could continue.

"What do you mean WE?"

"Daniel I don't know how to explain this any other way than just laying it out flat to you," He looked down and smiled even wider at me, "Daniel you are what I prefer to call a guardian."

I looked forward and continued walking, "A guardian to what?"

"You protect messengers, for example I am your messenger."

"I'm confused…" I stopped in my tracks and brought the bird face to face with me. "Why do I have to protect you, why was I chosen? I don't recall agreeing to this."

"I know you didn't, but it was passed on as your duty when…when your father failed."

"My father, you know my father!" I yelled aloud.

"Yes, but he failed to succeed where you will."

"Failed at what?" I questioned as I continued walking on.

"There are four pieces in this world, four pieces that are sent down from the heavens above every century. These pieces when together have the power to do great good or great evil. Think of it as a test for humanity."

"And if we fail?"

"Then you all die if they are used for evil." Blu explained bluntly and straight to the point.

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at the bird, "Whoa, what was that? Are you kidding me!"

Blu smiled and nodded, "No I am dead serious."

"So the ENTIRE human race depends on me!"

"Yes, you are the last hope."

"Okay now I am calling complete horseshit, it was nice talking to you stupid bird." I threw him off my shoulder and walked the opposite direction.

"You can't run Daniel."

I looked back as Blu flew above me, mocking me with a grin. Frustrated, I grabbed the nearest rock and chucked it at him.

"That isn't being a very good guardian!" he laughed, easily dodging the rock.

I grunted in frustration and began sprinting through the thick brush. I could hear Blu snickering in my mind and the flapping of his wings from above. Finally I entered into the clearing on far side of town, Blu's snickers immediately died.

"Daniel, you don't need to be here." He flew down next to my feet.

I ignored his request and continued to walk into the town looking in horror at the destruction and slaughter. I walked past a few bodies who I recognized, one being Jack. I stopped over the body of Jag and bent down. His brains and cranium were splattered over the ground and picking past the tid-bits of what was left of his head I grabbed his finely crafted cutlass. I always admired the sword; it hung on a plaque in the shop next to the anvil. When Jag was out on business I would often take it down and observe my reflection off the sparkling white steel. Now I looked into the blade to see it tainted with blood.

I took the sheath off of Jag's body and walked back to Blu. The two of us silently walked to my house, I was wiping the blood off the blade with my damp shirt. Satisfied with my cleaning of the blade I smiled into it clearly seeing my face.

"Just like new." I said.

We arrived outside my house and I felt the same sink in my gut as my eyes fell on the corpse of my mother. We took the back way into the home avoiding her body in the front door. I took Blu into my room and sat him down on my dresser. He shuffled about the piles of drawing atop the dresser.

"These are very good Daniel." He complimented.

"Thanks." I grunted as I pulled the heavy chest from under my bed. I threw the chest onto my bed and flipped up the latches. A storm of dust emerged, coughing I brushed it away from my face. I reached inside and pulled out old notebooks, documents, sketches and an assortment of other clutter until I found the old cigar box.

"Before I give you this I must ask, how did you know I was the one with it?"

"The medallion is the first of the four pieces; it will lead us to the second and so on. I am able to have a sense of where its location is so as long as you have it with you I will know where you are."

"In case we get separated."

"Exactly, now if you will please let me see it." He urged.

I lifted the cigar box out of the chest and placed it next to Blu. I slowly opened the box, as I did a strange blue light seemed to be emitting from the slightly opened crack. When I swung the box fully open I saw that the navy blue sapphire in the middle of the gold circle was brightly glowing. I looked over at Blu who was smiling with his eyes wide. He reached his claw into the box and the ground began to tremble with great force, sending me falling to the ground.

"BLU!" I yelled.

Then everything went hazy and blurry as I slipped into a flash of white light.


	4. Departure

I awoke to a blinding light shining in my eyes, preventing me from seeing. I felt a sinking feeling in my gut as if I was falling. Then I heard her.

"It's about time Blu." I heard an unfamiliar female voice say.

"After not seeing you for seventeen years this is how you greet me?" This I recognized as Blu.

"Why don't you try being in someone else for that long." The voice smirked.

The white light seemed to grow brighter totally engulfing me and I blinked my eyes. I saw the familiar sight of my ceiling in my room and sat up in my bed. The medallion sat on my dresser now with a gold chain through its loop. I walked over to it and placed it over my neck, I held it in one hand looked down as I rubbed its smooth surface.

"About time you got up." Blu said from my window…out loud.

"You can talk now?"

He smiled, "Yes, another benefit of the medallion, go ahead and take it off."

I did what he asked and lifted the chain from my neck, Blu began moving his beak but only squawks were heard. I placed the medallion back around my neck and smiled as Blu's words came fluently.

"What about our mental connection, does that still exist?" I asked.

"Unfortunately that was lost." Blu frowned.

"Too bad, well at least now I can have my own thoughts back." I chuckled.

Blu laughed with me, "Come outside, I want you to meet someone."

I walked outside and met Blu on the side of the house. Before I could say anything a nut was dropped onto my head.

"OW!" I yelled rubbing my head. I looked up and saw another bird like Blu, only this one's shade of blue was lighter, like the sky.

"Daniel this is Jewel, my partner." Blu introduced her holding out his wing.

"Good to finally meet you in person Daniel." Jewel said as she flew down and stood next to Blu.

"So by partner do you mean another messenger…or like mate."

The two birds smiled, "Both." They simultaneously answered.

"So why is Jewel here now, where did she come from?" I asked.

"She was here the entire time." Blu answered.

I shook my head, "I'm not following…"

Jewel smiled, "Daniel I was with you the entire time, in here." She placed her wing over her heart.

I rolled my eyes and fell against the side of the wall, "This is madness…" I sighed, putting my head into my hands. I wished that I could just have my normal life back, the life where I wasn't humanity's last hope, where I didn't talk to birds, when I didn't know I had a messenger from god in my body the entire time.

"Hey I know this is a lot to go through right now," Jewel flew onto my shoulder, "If anyone can do this you can."

I took a deep breath and rested my head against the side of the house. I looked at Jewel and then at Blu, both were smiling.

"It doesn't make any sense though!"

"I know it doesn't but some things are best left untold until later." Blu said.

"Besides, we are going to have a lot of time to talk where we're going." Jewel smiled.

"And where is that?" I asked.

When the pirates raided the island they made sure to destroy the only two 'actual' ships we had. The only remains of them were burnt pieces of wood floating in the water. I walked around the small dock system with both birds sitting on my shoulder looking for a suitable vessel to take sail.

"There is only small fishing boats and life boats left." I frowned.

"I think you're right." Blu agreed.

I threw my bag of supplies into the boat floating in front of us and walked back to shore.

"What are we doing?" Jewel asked.

"We need to get more food if we want to get anywhere from here." I walked us into the local grocery. The wooden shelves were mostly bare; the pirates did a good job at leaving nothing behind. I walked past the shelves and came to a door locked by a large metal padlock.

"If we can get past this door than we should have more than enough." I began thinking of how to complete the task. I looked down at the sheathed cutlass on my waist, no the lock was too strong to slash off. I would have to think smart, something I usually could do.

"Daniel maybe you could shoot it off?" Blusuggested.

I thought about it and decided it was worth a shot, "I could try I suppose."

I walked out of the store and to the body of one the dead pirates Jag killed. I shook the long musket rifle from the mans locked dead hands. Walking back into the store I told the macaws to back away from the door.

I pulled back the hammer and took aim from a few yards away. The rifle went off with a loud _BANG_ and released a cloud of smoke. Coughing, I dropped the rifle to my side and put my arm over my face to prevent any further intake of the burning smoke. The three of us walked over to the pad lock to examine the damage I did. I had shot the padlock with a direct hit but it still hung, preventing us from reaching the other side. Upon further inspection I found that the lock was actually jiggling loose and could probably be broken off if I could get enough leverage.

"Stay here." I told the birds.

Minutes later I returned with a small metal rod and a large hammer that I took from the smith shop. I inserted the rod in between the padlocks arms and the door. With a mighty swing from both hands I brought down the hammer right onto the rod. After a few swings the lock eventually broke into two pieces and the job was complete .

"Nice work." Jewel smiled.

"Thank you." I removed the pad lock and swung open the door. The inside of the room was dark and musky and I fumbled around trying to find a light source. Eventually my hands stumbled across what felt like an oil lantern, now all I needed was something to light it. The two birds searched inside the store while I continued wandering around blindly in the back room.

"I found a tinderbox!" Blu yelled from inside the store.

"Good." I answered back and made my way for the doorway, not before falling over a bag of grains and nearly breaking the lantern.

After lighting the lantern the three of us entered the room together now. I hung the lantern on a overhanging hook and began searching for valuable supplies.

Eventually we found what we thought would be suitable for our voyage. A couple of glass jugs of fresh water, salted meat, a few fruit, assorted bags of seeds, and a little bit of rum(for myself).

"Why the rum?" Jewel asked.

"Hey, don't judge me." I replied harshly.

The two birds exchanged concerned looks, "Is rum honestly a necessity?" Blu continued.

"If I'm supposed to be out saving the world why can't I have a little fun?" I told them.

They knew that it was futile...the rum was coming and that was that. We finished loading the rest of the supplies onto the small boat and climbed in. I unraveled the sail and untied us from the dock ultimately beginning the journey of a lifetime.

**AN-Okay another quick chapter now i know that things may seem a bit confusing and you are probably wondering what is happening...dont worry the next chapter has all the answers you're looking for.**


	5. The truth?

The two birds sat together at the front of the boat enjoying the sunset. I sat behind them slowly paddling out into the sea, an unknown world. I looked back at Saratoga, the small island where I had spent my entire life. And now in the blink of an eye I was leaving it to apparently save the world with the help of two blue birds. I was expecting to wake up any second now and have this entire day just be a dream, a crazy nonsense dream. And now the more I thought about it this entire situation was becoming less and less believable. These two birds, who can talk, are messengers from god. I have to protect them? Protect them from what? And to make things more peculiar these birds, or at least Blu, has spoken about my father. The man who had disappeared one night without a trace or warning and leaving no clues. With all of these questions storming through my mind I didn't realize that Blu was calling my name.

"Daniel!" he yelled.

I stopped rowing and turned around, "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" Jewel asked.

"No I'm fine, just spaced out for a second."

"I know it's hard for you to leave your home especially in the state it is in, but it's for the better good and I hope you know that." Blu said trying to ease me.

"You know it really is..." I started, I could feel my face turning red and my breathing speeding up. "It's especially dam hard when I don't know what the hell is going on! You said you had answers and now I want to hear them! I want to know why I shouldn't just turn this dam boat around and go back!"

The two birds stood shocked at my sudden outburst, there was a death like silence for a minute until Jewel spoke first.

"He's right, he does deserve to know." She said hanging her head low.

I faced them and rested my head on my right hand, "Let's hear it then."

"Well what do you want to know?" Blu asked hesitantly.

The first question came to my mind instantly, "How did you know my father."

Blu sighed, "I thought you would ask that one first."

"I'll explain it." Jewel said putting her wing lightly on Blu's back before looking up to me.

"From the beginning the role of being a guardian was a family duty. For centuries it was passed down in the same family and each time the family would fulfill their obligations. That is how it was until seventeen years ago."

"The pieces were sent down from the heaven's and Blu and I soon followed down. The family was expecting us and had already began training their choice for guardianship, a young man named Zachariah. When we confronted the family and met Zachariah we also met his lifelong friend, Daniel, your father."

"Daniel was a wealthy man, inheriting a large sum of gold from your grandfather's shipping company. He financially supported Zachariah and his family, buying them guns, swords, ships anything they would need for the journey of finding the pieces. At first Blu and I were upset that the secret of the four pieces and the power they held was told to your father, it was never told to anyone else but there was never a rule against it. But we eventually came to trust him and even let him accompany Zachariah and us on the journey...a foolish mistake."

Jewel looked down to the bottom of the boat, "Your father betrayed us, he killed Zachariah in cold blood when we had all four pieces within our grasp and were going to seal humanity's survival for another century. He wanted to take the power for himself, he was greedy, a evil man. We were barely able to stop him from using the power and ultimately dooming humanity."

"What happened to my father?"

The two birds slowly nodded their heads no and I knew the answer.

"The pieces were once again scattered across the world but the duty of guardianship was relieved from Zachariah's family and placed onto your father's, as a curse now more than a privilege, more specifically you, his only flesh and blood left. You were still just a small baby when I was sent to look after you, I have watched over you Daniel for your entire life. I shared the same emotions of happiness, pleasure, love, hate, shame, anything you felt I felt. I know you Danie,l I see the good in you, something your father never had."

There was an eerie silence as I absorbed everything that I was just told.

"Now I'm paying for my father's mistakes..."

"Yes, it's sad but true. I'm sorry your father was not the man you always thought him to be."

"Wait then how did I get this?" I asked holding the medallion in my hand.

"Let's just say that a birdie dropped it outside your doorstep one night." Blu snickered.

I caught his drift and lightly smiled and then asked, "So what about Zachariah's family? What happened to them?"

"We don't know."

"We haven't talked to them after Zachariah's death."

I sat and thought about what to make of this whole mess. I always thought that it would feel good to finally have closure on my father and to know who he was and what he did. But now that I know he nearly doomed the human race and was a evil man I wish I could go back to not knowing.

"Are you going to turn the boat around or continue on?" Blu asked.

I looked up and smiled, "So, where to?"


End file.
